Traditionally, weddings have always seen fanfare on the bride, with guests eagerly anticipating the grand dress reveal… However, no matter what your style or the gown, when it comes to your big day, the groom should always be the most stylish man in the room. To help guide you through what can often be a challenging styling journey, we sat down with Chris Edwards, Co-founder and Director of Australia’s leading made-to-measure tailors Oscar Hunt, to discuss the latest suiting trends this wedding season and the power of a made-to-measure suit.
The Tuxedo
You can’t really go wrong with this one, it’s a timeless classic and for good reason!
The tuxedo look is a simple black suit, paired with a white shirt, spread collar and black bow tie. For a modern twist, you can swap the black jacket for a white, or if you’re after additional flair, explore different coloured velvets or, a jacquard weave.
Don’t go overboard with accessories, keep it simple. Alongside your bow tie, you can add a pocket square and a boutonniere on your left lapel to either match your wedding flower arrangement, or a single white rose. While completing the look with suspenders is optional – cufflinks are a must. They’re the perfect finish to your suit, keep them classic with silver or black onyx in a round or square shape.
The Three-Piece Suit
When people look back at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, most remember Meghan’s gown, few remember Harry’s suit. That being said, everyone remembers David Beckham’s three-piece suit.
The three-piece suit is undoubtedly a standout, and for good reason. A gentleman in a waistcoat speaks from a position of style authority. There are no hard-and-fast rules for wearing a three-piece suit, and one of the advantages is its flexibility.
Three-piece suits can be worn in a variety of ways. Tailor-made means one suit can have several waistcoat options in different colours, textures and patterns. Good dressing comes from simplicity, and a three-piece suit can achieve this while still making a statement.
For your special day, we recommend choosing a single-colour three-piece. A double-breasted vest will wrap around your waist and provide a structured silhouette, still maintaining presentability even once you take your jacket off. A shawl or peak collar evokes Savile Row savoir-faire, and turns the garment into a statement. Wear with accessories designed to heighten your aesthetic, such as pocket squares in complementary colours, but aspire to highlight the garment beneath.
The Summer Suit
For the groom with a summer wedding (particularly outdoors or a destination wedding) this is the most relaxed suit, made for the weddings that you so often find flooding your social media from picturesque (and hot!) locations.
A summer wedding demands lightweight, breathable fabrics. In terms of material, linen will be your best friend to make it through high-temperature weather, being much more breathable than wool and cotton options.
For pants, you can’t go wrong with tailored, matching linen pants or alternatively, cotton trousers. So long as the pants are properly tailored and cut, they will ensure both comfort and sophistication.
As for colour palette, the entire outfit should be focused on light colour tones including beige, cream, light grey and white.
With a summer wedding, you have the flexibility to style. If you wish to add some colour, you can do this through a coloured pocket square. While the look doesn’t include a tie, we recommend keeping your shirt open and relaxed with some brown loafers to finish.
The Navy Suit
Easily the most versatile suit to have in your wardrobe – every man should own at least one (if you’re the guy who only owns one suit – this is the one!).
If you love the sophistication of a tuxedo but want to tone down the formality, a navy suit is a fantastic option for the day.
You can dress down the look with little effort or dress it up through an artillery of accessories.
Navy looks best with warm colours, so whether it’s bow ties or pocket squares, bear this in mind when choosing accessories. Your shirt on the other hand should be classic white. Let the suit’s quality do the talking, with shirts and accessories bringing out its brilliance.
Mix and Match
This is for the bold groom wanting to stay away from the typical wedding suit and challenge conventions.
While we’d recommend not going overboard with a mix of different colours and materials – a patterned or textured suit is sure to gain attention for all the right reasons. You have the most flexibility in this option, but best to mix complementary colours that fit with the overall wedding theme.
While these trends are important to note this wedding season, there is one fact that cannot be missed. The only way to be the sharpest man in the room through style, is to ensure you’re the sharpest man in the room through fit! A made-to-measure suit is a must on your big day, so make sure you plan months in advance as a good tailor will need anywhere from six to eight weeks to create.